Lucky

Talking in massive hypotheticals and certainly not advocating for a change, but who is out there in world football who would transform us? Klopp, Pep and Alonso are non runners.. Mourinho would come but is he done at this point? Zidane? Not sure he speaks English or has any interest in returning to management at the moment. I’d always loved to have seen what Rafa would have done with some money to spend but can probably also file him under the Mourinho bracket now. Think my point is that there’s no foregone conclusion of someone who could come in that would be a dead cert. Not like when Pep went to City etc.

And say we don’t win a cup, and finish around 12th? Is that going to be enough to keep our best players? I don’t think we have the luxury of having off seasons now.

Can you not see the flaw in your argument? If we can only play to the intensity we need to for that system to work every other game and then the rest of the time playing at 50-60% just to avoid injuries - then surely the system is flawed?

The problem I have with that is how we’re ever going to integrate the academy and u21 side into that. Howe can’t do all of it. And about bringing in new coaches, when is Howe ever going to get JT or Jones to sit back and let someone else come in? He’s never going to make that decision in the same way he won’t sign a playmaker and he won’t sign a defensive midfielder.

We could talk all day about types of players who should be brought into the squad/first team but I do think there’s a sentimentality that holds us back from making tough decisions on who to let go.

Of course there’s negatives or this wouldn’t be being discussed. Things go stale at clubs sometimes, I’m not saying sack Howe or sell half the squad. But we need to define what it is the club is going forward. Are we defined by Howe (and all his positives/negatives) or does the new Sporting Director try and bring an identity to the club at all levels that’s consistent regardless of what manager is in place? At the moment I wouldn’t be opposed to Howe bringing in some new coaches to try and freshen things up. Ferguson made great use of this every few years and they evolved because of it, notably when Carlos Queiroz was brought in.

The odd good win doesn’t mask the bigger picture anymore. Injuries and fixture congestion have played their part, but there’s also a clear pattern now.. we look one-dimensional in possession, predictable going forward, and far too easy to play through when pressed. The energy and intensity that defined us under Howe in earlier seasons seems to have dissipated, and that’s not just down to fatigue or bad luck. It feels like the same problems keep resurfacing.. lack of adaptability, poor game management, and an over-reliance on the same tactical setup regardless of opponent. Those are deeper issues that point to a manager who might have run out of fresh ideas. Sometimes when you’re in something it’s harder to objectively look and see what really needs to change.

He’s made it easier for Howe to give Ramsdale a chance for sure, whether that happens is still doubtful.

Catch 22 though isn’t it. If we do better in the league we get Europe. We can’t complain about the schedule when it’s what we played for. But honestly I think in the 4 years since he’s been here the standard in the PL has improved so much in terms of the rest of the league. We don’t get time on the ball anymore and most concerning is how we physically look so off it in all of those battles in the middle of the pitch. We lose all the second balls, we get caught in possession too often. What we are doesn’t work anymore. It’s Howe’s job to fix that. If he can’t then what are we doing? Those players we really want to stay long term, you think they’ll settle for life at a mid table PL club?

No. And nobody is saying that. Wanting someone to succeed and whether or not they do it are different things. It will be a sad day for the club and supporters if he’s not the manager at some point in the future but am sure if that day ever comes there will be a reason for it.

What was the good league performance?

I didn’t write that post 🤷‍♂️

I had my say on this after the shit performance at Brighton. I like Howe, I want him to succeed. We’re very poor in the league this season. It’s stale, teams seem to have our measure tactically and worse, physically too. The league should be our priority. If we go on a cup run, great, but we look spent at the weekends.

His point is that Howe won’t be.

West Ham played this half perfectly. Just sat back knowing full well we’d do fuck all with the ball. We’re a counter attacking team. If we have nothing to counter we’re toothless.

Suds

I’m saying nothing..

Only way we’re scoring here is a shot from outside the box.

The longer Nuno is at West Ham, the more they will improve. He’s a good manager.

Shrinking violets on the road. Our lack of real pace in midfield being exposed again. They’re just running at us and we can’t cope with it. Gordon doesn’t look like he fancies trying to outrun Wan Bissaka so he’s essentially null and void. Wolt has had no service. Joelinton anonymous aside from that shot at the end of the half. Bruno well off the pace. Also on a yellow. So much you could change.

West Ham have retreated somewhat, they probably just wanna get in level at halftime.

We’re losing every second ball

Paqueta running the midfield

Great start!!

How’s the bacon did you say